The town is not large and can be seen in a day walk the streets of the town, climb a stairway and explore the ramparts, visit the Historical Museum but a number of pleasant destinations are nearby. The town's railway station is walkable from all the hotels reviewed here and only a short train ride away are: Bern, the capital; the medieval city of Freibourg; and watch-making mecca Neuchâtel. All are about 30 minutes by train. Avenches, a town with extensive Roman ruins is only six minutes down the track; and picturesque, cheese-making, Gruyères is less than two hours distant.
Each summer in Avenches, the Roman amphitheater is the site of outdoor opera performances and Murten hosts a summer classical music festival. Five golf courses are within a 30 minute drive.
Murten's lake is connected via canals to the much larger lakes of Neuchâtel (Neuenberger See) and Biel (Bieler See), making possible numerous water excursions. Cities on all three lakes can be accessed by boat from Murten. In fact, from Biel, at the end of the Bieler See, one can continue on the Aare River to Solothurn, though that trip cannot be completed in one day. A trip that can be done in a single day is to take a morning boat from Murten to Neuchâtel, then through the canal to the Bieler See arriving in Biel at 5:30pm. Return to Murten by train.
An excursion popular with locals is to go by boat from Murten to Praz on the opposite shore and return on foot via a lakeside walking path. The walk will take about two hours.
Though hotel rooms will surely be at a premium, June 22, the holiday celebrating the great victory over the Duke of Burgundy would be a fine time to visit. There is a great civic celebration with a parade, music, traditional costumes and fountains filled with fresh flowers.
